Denver driver survives 500-foot drop from road

[July 10, 2010]  SILVERTON, Colo. (AP) -- Authorities say a 33-year-old Denver man suspected of drinking and driving survived after he lost control of his car and it dropped almost 500 feet off the side of a road.

The Colorado State Patrol says Anthoney L. Buckner seemed to be in "amazingly good condition" after rescuers used ropes and a litter to pull him up from the crash site Thursday. Trooper Jonathan Silver says Buckner's 1990 Toyota hatchback was "pretty mangled."

Silver says Buckner may have been saved by wearing a seat belt. Silver says Buckner was driving on slick roads up Red Mountain Pass near Silverton when the accident happened.

Silver says investigators suspect Buckner had been drinking and charges are pending.

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Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com/

[Associated Press]

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